Columns

This is a transitional week in the General Assembly, as each chamber begins considering the bills of the other chamber, in the process known as crossover. It is a transitional week for me as well, as I return to my seat in the House of Delegates following surgery at MD Anderson Medical Center in Houston.

On Jan. 27, an ambulance rigged with a car bomb exploded in Kabul, Afghanistan, and killed more than 100 people. The Taliban later claimed responsibility.
This happened again despite the presence of the U.S. military in that country, which has been there now for 17 years, ever since the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks here.

Congress, including “Democrats,” needs to stop playing politics and get on board President Donald Trump’s immigration reform program. It also needs to take action on the status of the so called dreamers.
“Democrats” need to learn to put the good of the country ahead of their political party. They need to stop focusing on scoring political points against Republicans and secure our southern border and that means building President Trump’s wall.

I don’t know who is having the worst time dealing with fake news, President Trump on national political news, or myself on local news covering Bedford County.
Two weeks ago, after spending $42 million to pump water from Smith Mt. Lake, the residents who were forced to drink recycled water from Roanoke, were asked to conserve water. After my groundhog attack dog & I took a tour of the full pond on Stoney Creek reservoir we realized that this article was fake news.

Legend tells us that George Washington explained to Thomas Jefferson that the purpose of the United States Senate to “cool” House legislation just as a saucer was used to cool hot tea. The difference between Washington and Richmond is more than 100 miles and our pace in the Virginia Senate this year has been nothing short of blazing.

It’s hard to believe we are already into the month of February! The General Assembly session is progressing quickly. We have just over a week left until “Crossover.”
Crossover is the point at which both the House and Senate can only act on bills that have passed through the other body. Committee dockets and House Floor calendars have been long over the last week as each house works to complete action on their own legislation. The exception to Crossover is the budget bill.

When most people hear the word “Senate,” they think of the United States Senate, a legislative body known for moving very slowly. Judging from this year’s session, the Senate of Virginia is very different from the Senate in Washington. My fellow senators and I have already passed over 200 bills during this year’s session.

This was a long but productive week in Richmond, as we are entering into the hectic days leading up to crossover. Between now and February 13, the House has to complete work on every bill filed by a delegate. With over 1,600 bills filed by delegates, there’s a lot to consider in a very short period of time.